Angurvadal
“Vetr” (Blud Auk, 2024)

Some comebacks are eagerly expected, and this was one of them. 2022 saw the birth of the project, and 2023 the first release – “A Flame Immemorial...” – which was no less than amazing, for this 2^nd one we were expecting for the level of quality to, at least, remain the same. But no, I do feel it has clearly increased quality, and this Demo is close to perfection. Pagan Black Metal in sound, the music has several layers that make it sound more dynamic and attractive. Punkish moments where all the rage is let go, and more melancholic and folkish details. This balance is what gives is it dynamics. All in all, the melody is ruler, and that is what we get: a melodic piece of Black Metal. I feel A. Woldaeg did an amazing work with everything he decided to put in this Demo. The first one was flawless, in my opinion, and I feel this one is also flawless, and a clear upgrade/motion forward. It is very castles-and-knights’ kind of Black Metal at times, and that is amazing! I believe the word better used to describe it, is amazing! “Icy River of Grief” is superb, and has a Graveland aroma to it, as well as Bathory, right? Epic and majestic. Yeah, I feel this is the aura surrounding the Demo. Please, give yourself an indulgent moment, and check it.

Fellwinter
“In Night's Eternal Grasp” (Blood and Crescent, 2024)

I feel Taurus is, at the moment, the strongest Black Metal musician in the US scene. This might come as a shock, or a total absurdity, but I do care zero about it and will keep the this is the best Black Metal musician, today, in the USBM scene. Period. Taurus, man of many forms and shapes; Arbor, Atheosophia, Gauntlet Ring, and Fellwinter, are his dark souls, dark vehicles of expression.

This time, Mercenary assists in putting this masterpiece together, and the atmosphere is tremendous. I will always sound fanboyish when it comes to Taurus, but he has shown us how good his vision is, and this new release, this new full-length does not stray away from his path. The melodic aspect of his music, of his persona, perfectly complements his more visceral and animal side, and the riffs are just that: a fusion of emotional states. Amazing, in my opinion!

However, why the hype? Why this movement that places Taurus as Lord and Saviour of USBM?! Well, maybe not everyone has the same opinion on the lad, and that is fine, that is understandable, of course. The thing is, he does hit the emotional nerve of many Black Metal fans, going back to the 90ies atmospheres and riffs, evoking what we took as important and significant. No reinvention here, but I believe the ones that take the time to listen to Fellwinter are not expecting – nor wishing – that he reinvents the genre. I believe it is quite the opposite: the old is the best, in a very simplistic way of putting it. Musically, this new release is an upgrade from his previous release – “Promo 2024” – as it shows Taurus taking his melodic side to higher levels of interest and quality. One thing that really amazed me was that he does not fear to slow things down, extract all the rage and anger from his music, and gift us with acoustic and delicate sounds. There really are moments where we feel overwhelmed by how dense and heavy those moments are, d’you know what I mean?

Throughout these 36-minutes we are welcomed by a master at his craft, an artist that displays his knowledge and skills in an oddly peaceful way. Yes, his music does not lack the violence we all cherish in Black Metal, but he never allows it to fall into a meaningless amalgamation of sounds and harsh noise segments; his Black Metal is, as mentioned before, a glimpse of the 90ies and its golden days. Fanboy or not, this release, this Artist, deserve your attention.

Arbor

We continue our journey with Taurus, man of many projects, and this time to focus on Arbor. Arbor is not better nor worse than his other projects, but it might be the one I identify with the most. We start our journey through his 2024 releases on “Between Moonshadows… Our Spirit’s Veil…”. 2 tracks, that is all, and massive it is! Again, I am one of those that truly believes that (almost) everything Taurus touches, turn into gold, and this specific release is no exception.

The simplicity with which he approaches the music, the composition, the overall release, makes it amazing. Allow me to explain: simplicity does not, in any way, mean inferiority or a minimization of the artist’s work! It means that he does not need gimmicks or overexaggerated and complex structures! The man is able to create a true gem from scratch. Love him for that.

This one? 2 tracks, 2 sides, 2 emotional states of mind. The more aggressive side, the more melodic and softer side. Do they fit well? They fit perfectly! Easily put on loop, this EP is a massive representation of what I believe Arbor to be: one of the overall best Black Metal acts out there… and I mean everywhere. This one has that stunning 90ies aroma, d’you know what I mean?!

Now time for the “Promo ‘24”. Ah, what an exquisite release this is. What do we have here? Well, we have more Arbor, and that is always a massive thing, right?! Taurus, once again, gifts us the gift of Black Metal, and we receive it with open heart. Childish, and so un-evil thing to say. The thing is, the lad is not evil, at least not in my book. His music evokes cold and darkness, but never in an evil way, more on an emotional level.

Arbor is all about the emotions for me! I still get these emotions whenever I put on “For All Tid”, for example. You may all hate Dimmu Borgir, but that is one quintessential! Arbor goes straight for the cold and cutting atmosphere, and he gets it. The raw Black Metal scene has evolved, and he played his part in that. Fans wanted to most noisy and unbearable slound they could find, and some band gave them such sound; some musicians decided to pay homage to the Past, and they gave us this. Judas Iscariot, for example, has been mentioned plenty of times when talking about Arbor, and I get it, but that is a very narrow perspective of Taurus’ work.

Gauntlet Ring

“Beyond the Veil of Night” (Blood and Crescent Productions, 2023)

Taurus and Mercenary are at it again! For those that are still unaware of these names, I advise you all to check Arbor and Fellwinter, the lads’ other projects. Arbor is a fantastic one-man Black Metal majestic project, and Fellwinter is not far from that same brilliance. Gauntlet Ring is within the same “reign of sound” and quality. To start off, “A Mist of Blood and Battle” is an epic Black Metal tune, an homage to the Old Days of Black Metal.

The formula is quite simple, yet not all are able to master it like these lads. Mid-pace and medieval scent. The melodies are immense, and will quickly draw you in. The guitar sounds amazing, and the drums are just spot on. All this put together creates the perfect fusion of sounds and sights. Yes, sights. You all know that music is able to “paint” pictures, and these pictures are of medieval battles and carnage. The sound is punishing, yet you can feel that USBM atmosphere; not the Raw Black Metal one, but more attached to 90ies Black Metal than many. I read, about this release, that the guitar is weak, non-magical, whatever… well, everyone is entitled to an opinion, of course, but one of the things I love about Black Metal is the simplicity of the music. Of course, we are presented with amazing music, superb structures, but overall, it is a very straight forward genre, and that gives it that “something”. I do find that Gauntlet Ring is a very effective band, very straight to the point. I adore the production. I simply adore the fact that everything is audible, while keeping it very primitive and simple. We are yet to mention the vocals. I love Taurus vocal performances in Arbor, Fellwinter, and Gauntlet Ring. It fits the music so well, so perfectly.

Everything Taurus touches is gold in my book. His music might not be the most complex or inventive of all time, however, it has feeling. It replicates melodies that are reminiscent of the Old Days, and so well done. The softer moments, when all calms down and Drudkhian melodies, leading the path of Autumnal atmospheres to take over. It is with immense pleasure that I confirm that many musicians are “escaping” to adhere to a trend that has dragged Black Metal to a clear futile existence, where there is no aim at quality, but to present the most possible Raw example of a wall of noise. Exaggerating I might be…